Yes, you can smoke after security at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS). Travellers report enclosed, ventilated smoking booths in the airside departures hall near gates 101-103, plus a smoking section inside the primeclass lounge; landside, there are designated outdoor smoking areas just outside the terminal entrance. Georgia’s strict 2018 indoor smoking ban specifically exempts the transit zones of airports, which is why after-security smoking still exists here.
Tbilisi International is Georgia’s main gateway, operated by TAV Georgia, and handles the bulk of the country’s international traffic. The terminal is compact and single-level for departures, so the smoking booths near the gate cluster are a short walk from most boarding areas once you clear passport control and security.
Smoking After Security (Airside)
The main after-security option is a set of enclosed, ventilated smoking booths in the departures hall near gates 101-103 — regular travellers describe one booth by gate 101 and another by gate 103. Georgia’s transit-zone exemption allows an enclosed, separately ventilated room rather than an open-air terrace, so these are sealed indoor booths fitted with ventilation and ashtrays, not balconies. The rest of the departure hall outside the booths stays smoke-free, so light up only inside the marked cabins.
Because the booths sit inside the sterile zone, transit passengers can reach them without clearing immigration — a real advantage on long layovers.
primeclass Lounge
The primeclass lounge is also airside, located after passport control on the departures floor near gate 101, and it has its own designated smoking section. Lounge guests (Priority Pass, eligible cards, or paid entry) can smoke there without walking back out to the main hall.
Before Security (Landside)
Landside, smoking is permitted at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal entrance, marked with ashtrays. Use these if you are seeing someone off, have just landed, or have not yet passed through security. If you smoke here after check-in, remember you will need to clear security screening again before returning airside.
Vaping and Heated Tobacco
Georgia’s 2018 law treats e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products (such as IQOS) the same as cigarettes. Vaping is therefore allowed in the same spots as smoking — the airside booths and the landside outdoor areas — while enclosed public spaces of the terminal remain vapour-free.
Summary table
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airside smoking booths | Yes | Enclosed, ventilated cabins near gates 101-103 (traveller-reported) |
| primeclass lounge | Yes | Designated smoking section, after passport control near gate 101 |
| Outdoor landside | Yes | Designated areas outside the terminal entrance, before security |
| Departure hall (general) | No | Smoke-free outside the booths |
| Vaping / heated tobacco | Designated areas only | Same rules as cigarettes |
For Georgia’s national airport smoking rules and the 2018 tobacco law, see our Georgia airport guide.